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Posts Tagged ‘Deception’

Tithes and The Prosperity Gospel – Christianity’s Deception

Joseph Ho, February 18th, 2009.

The world has never seen such great commercial profiteering in the body of Christ until the turn of this century. What is going on? Jesus has already said a long time ago that his Father’s house shall be a house of prayer, in the book of Matthew, Matthew 21:13, “
And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.” The people in God’s temple of old were selling sacrifices of animals for a price and that has turned a Holy Site into a market place. Does this resemble what is happening to the Church today? Now people are selling the Material Prosperity blessings for a price, they say, give and it shall be given onto you. So if you give money you get money. Strangely enough, in Asia, we call it the 4D, Toto and the Big Sweep. That’s what one gets when you buy a $3 dollar ticket and then you may get the big price on the date of draw.

“4 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. 5 They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways; now appoint a king to lead [a] us, such as all the other nations have.”

6 But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the LORD. 7 And the LORD told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. 8 As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. 9 Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do.”

10 Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking him for a king. 11 He said, “This is what the king who will reign over you will do: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. 12 Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. 15 He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. 16 Your menservants and maidservants and the best of your cattle [b] and donkeys he will take for his own use. 17 He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. 18 When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the LORD will not answer you in that day.”

19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want a king over us. 20 Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.”

21 When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the LORD. 22 The LORD answered, “Listen to them and give them a king.””

The ten percent Tithe which was given to the High Priests is now given unto the king. Now who are the kings of the world today, they are now called Governments and Monarchs. And where is the Tithe now being paid? It’s to the Government of each country that every citizen has to pay this Tithe.

So what is this Government Tithe?

It’s called the INCOME TAX guys. Simple as that, we do not need to burden ourselves by paying another tax to the church. Now the Pastors of the modern church calls this “PROTECTION MONEY”, since if you pay this Tithe, you will never get your money stolen nor loose your Job which gives you income nor will you loose your possession to scams and conmen. When you paid this Tithe as preached, it’s an INSURANCE against the devourer, and God will ensure this devourer will not steal from you ever again. It’s a promise as preached.

Isn’t this Pay Back Time?

In time of wealth and prosperous economy this Principle of Tithe works. But when the entire world is under severe economy recession and crisis, I would love to see how these pastors and preachers of prosperity are going to ensure this devourer never affect the Tither’s piggy bank. Now its time to test this principle as preached. For God will bring every works to the Test of FIRE. The “HOLY INSURANCE” sales guy must now prove that their product is going to work for all Christians. They did not say if you Tithe and Sin God will not bless. No, they say if you Tithe God have to bless. If you don’t mean what you say don’t say it, for we all have to give an account of all our words before the Lord God on the day of Judgment, as mentioned in Matthew,

Matthew 12:36, “But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.”

As far as I know, everyone will be affected by this Economy Crisis in 2009; even the Christian who Tithes. Because the pagan are also bosses of the Christian so if God will not bless them since they do not Tithe, their business will suffer and then it will affect their Christian employees. Jesus says do not remove the weed from the wheat until the time of Judgment, so I don’t think this will work as well. Pagans and Christians coexist and prosper materially in this world because money is not a Spiritual Fruit.

Imagine if you tithe constantly and monthly yet you bear false witness against your brother, yet you steal, yet you rape, yet you beat your wives, will God still bless you when you Tithe? If not, the Tithe can not be a blanket guarantee of you not loosing your materials possessions and even your money during times of crisis. What is you best hope then? The Lord is our Shepherd and Provider, Psalms 23:1-3.

So should you Tithe or not Tithe that is the question?

Dear people, we have to know that God’s priests do not do any industrial activity but they teach and preach, so they have to eat. Paul says, in 1 Corinthians 9:9-12,

“9For it is written in the Law of Moses: “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain. “Is it about oxen that God is concerned? 10Surely he says this for us, doesn’t he? Yes, this was written for us, because when the plowman plows and the thresher threshes, they ought to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest. 11If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? 12If others have this right of support from you, shouldn’t we have it all the more?”

So Paul expects the people in the church who were fed Spiritual Food to share with them material needs. That is to say, we are to give unto the Priests and Pastors a Free-Will Love Offerings to sustain them in their work, while the Tithe is already paid to the Government of each country in the terms of PERSONAL INCOME TAX. Surely a good God will not burden his people again by requiring them to pay double taxation. When God does not even require of us to be circumcised, why then would God require us to pay such heavy duty tax to both the Government and to his Church. The bible says, God loves a cheerful giver and we are to give according to our means and be happy about it. So how to be a cheerful giver when we are required a fixed amount, we must give from our hearts.

So why are the Prosperity Churches growing when they deceive the world?

Tithes and The Prosperity Gospel – Christianity’s Deception

Joseph Ho, February 18th, 2009.

The world has never seen such great commercial profiteering in the body of Christ until the turn of this century. What is going on? Jesus has already said a long time ago that his Father’s house shall be a house of prayer, in the book of Matthew, Matthew 21:13, “
And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.” The people in God’s temple of old were selling sacrifices of animals for a price and that has turned a Holy Site into a market place. Does this resemble what is happening to the Church today? Now people are selling the Material Prosperity blessings for a price, they say, give and it shall be given onto you. So if you give money you get money. Strangely enough, in Asia, we call it the 4D, Toto and the Big Sweep. That’s what one gets when you buy a $3 dollar ticket and then you may get the big price on the date of draw.

“4 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. 5 They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways; now appoint a king to lead [a] us, such as all the other nations have.”

6 But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the LORD. 7 And the LORD told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. 8 As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. 9 Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do.”

10 Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking him for a king. 11 He said, “This is what the king who will reign over you will do: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. 12 Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. 15 He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. 16 Your menservants and maidservants and the best of your cattle [b] and donkeys he will take for his own use. 17 He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. 18 When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the LORD will not answer you in that day.”

19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want a king over us. 20 Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.”

21 When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the LORD. 22 The LORD answered, “Listen to them and give them a king.””

The ten percent Tithe which was given to the High Priests is now given unto the king. Now who are the kings of the world today, they are now called Governments and Monarchs. And where is the Tithe now being paid? It’s to the Government of each country that every citizen has to pay this Tithe.

So what is this Government Tithe?

It’s called the INCOME TAX guys. Simple as that, we do not need to burden ourselves by paying another tax to the church. Now the Pastors of the modern church calls this “PROTECTION MONEY”, since if you pay this Tithe, you will never get your money stolen nor loose your Job which gives you income nor will you loose your possession to scams and conmen. When you paid this Tithe as preached, it’s an INSURANCE against the devourer, and God will ensure this devourer will not steal from you ever again. It’s a promise as preached.

Isn’t this Pay Back Time?

In time of wealth and prosperous economy this Principle of Tithe works. But when the entire world is under severe economy recession and crisis, I would love to see how these pastors and preachers of prosperity are going to ensure this devourer never affect the Tither’s piggy bank. Now its time to test this principle as preached. For God will bring every works to the Test of FIRE. The “HOLY INSURANCE” sales guy must now prove that their product is going to work for all Christians. They did not say if you Tithe and Sin God will not bless. No, they say if you Tithe God have to bless. If you don’t mean what you say don’t say it, for we all have to give an account of all our words before the Lord God on the day of Judgment, as mentioned in Matthew,

Matthew 12:36, “But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.”

As far as I know, everyone will be affected by this Economy Crisis in 2009; even the Christian who Tithes. Because the pagan are also bosses of the Christian so if God will not bless them since they do not Tithe, their business will suffer and then it will affect their Christian employees. Jesus says do not remove the weed from the wheat until the time of Judgment, so I don’t think this will work as well. Pagans and Christians coexist and prosper materially in this world because money is not a Spiritual Fruit.

Imagine if you tithe constantly and monthly yet you bear false witness against your brother, yet you steal, yet you rape, yet you beat your wives, will God still bless you when you Tithe? If not, the Tithe can not be a blanket guarantee of you not loosing your materials possessions and even your money during times of crisis. What is you best hope then? The Lord is our Shepherd and Provider, Psalms 23:1-3.

So should you Tithe or not Tithe that is the question?

Dear people, we have to know that God’s priests do not do any industrial activity but they teach and preach, so they have to eat. Paul says, in 1 Corinthians 9:9-12,

“9For it is written in the Law of Moses: “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain. “Is it about oxen that God is concerned? 10Surely he says this for us, doesn’t he? Yes, this was written for us, because when the plowman plows and the thresher threshes, they ought to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest. 11If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? 12If others have this right of support from you, shouldn’t we have it all the more?”

So Paul expects the people in the church who were fed Spiritual Food to share with them material needs. That is to say, we are to give unto the Priests and Pastors a Free-Will Love Offerings to sustain them in their work, while the Tithe is already paid to the Government of each country in the terms of PERSONAL INCOME TAX. Surely a good God will not burden his people again by requiring them to pay double taxation. When God does not even require of us to be circumcised, why then would God require us to pay such heavy duty tax to both the Government and to his Church. The bible says, God loves a cheerful giver and we are to give according to our means and be happy about it. So how to be a cheerful giver when we are required a fixed amount, we must give from our hearts.

So why are the Prosperity Churches growing when they deceive the world?

A Desperate World in Need of the Pure Gospel!
Billions of people are living in poverty around the world. About 2.8 billion people are living on less than two dollars a day. Millions are dying from starvation and diseases in the Third World. The global financial crisis has caused millions to lose their home and the world has probably just seen the beginning of a major global crisis that not even the financial experts could have foretold. The threat of nuclear war is hanging in the air and the most powerful nations of the globe are fighting for the last reserves of oil.
While some families can’t even afford a single meal on the table each day, others are addicted to drugs, gambling and alcohol. Millions in the west are so mentally depressed that they try to escape this world of loneliness in alcohol, drugs, perversions and suicide. The world is screaming for help and solutions for a messed up society that has nothing to offer but endless talk shows and online entertainment.
People are seriously desperate for finding a deeper meaning, hope and inner peace. This world seems to have everything to offer, but in reality is more out of control morally and spiritually than ever. I can boldly say that this world needs the full gospel message of Jesus Christ. Not another sermon or conference about self happiness, but the pure full gospel of salvation. That is the one and only thing that can bring peace to the mind and restore the soul.
But how sad it is that the preaching of the full gospel has been downgraded to some cultural light gospel show with fancy stage performance and blinking lights! Where are the full gospel preachers who dare to stand up for the truth, who dare to preach salvation, hope, hell, holiness and grace. Where are those who proclaim that Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven?
The problem is that millions of people have been deceived and blinded with a feel good gospel, a light lukewarm message that only talks about happiness, prosperity, self-development and “me, me and me” instead of “Him, Him and Him!”
Where did the gospel go?
Is today’s modern church really afraid of teaching the full living gospel? Is it afraid of being politically incorrect and offending the masses? Many churches are on a very dangerous path. A path that will only lead to possible destruction. Let me point out, that if there is no gospel message of sin, grace, repentance and salvation there is zero!
And while thousands of churches are playing “seeker sensitive churches” and being politically correct, millions of non-believers are screaming for spiritual truth that can give them real hope and reality based on the word of God. The truth of the gospel will set them free, but if there is no one preaching the truth of the gospel, many will go to hell, believing in a different gospel (2 Corinthians 11:3-4) (Galatians 1:6-7) . That is the hard facts. A very good place to read and study what Jesus is saying is in Matthew chapter 24. Jesus mentions here in chapter 24 that many will be deceived by false prophets and teachers.
It is so easy for self-proclaimed prophets to make up weird crazy doctrines and get thousands of followers, because in many churches there is a great lack of Christian discipleship based on the word of God. The focus on Jesus and his teaching and discipleship has been replaced with “feel-good teachings” that totally lacks the important teachings about repentance, sin, hell, grace and holiness.
On a five week mission trip to Ethiopia recently I was scheduled to speak in different churches. In my sermon preparation I felt a deep conviction to preach and focus more on the gospel that Jesus taught and His life, more than I had ever done before. And the pastors and local evangelists were amazed and almost shocked by the clear gospel teaching, because they were not used to that!
We have to remember that the gospel is what sets us free. We need to bring the full gospel back in our churches, mission fields and to a desperate seeking world. There is only one hope and that is Jesus Christ. We have to renew our passion for being in the presence of Jesus. We must take up our cross and lay down our lives and follow Christ and be filled with the Holy Spirit. We must renew our minds daily in God’s presence. We must study the life of Jesus and the Word of God and let it become part of us, inside out.
The living word of God will change your life and you will see its powerful effects, and not only will you be empowered by his Word, the world around you will experience the saving and healing power of Jesus Christ. Make the gospel the focus of your life and ministry and tell others as well.